The Australian skipper has secured 309 Test scalps in 71 appearances with an stellar bowling average.
The Australian selection chief Bailey has stated that captain Pat Cummins will be a central figure in this winter's Ashes series.
There were concerns that Cummins might be unavailable due to a stress fracture in his back that remained unresolved.
Previous updates from team management suggested no official announcement had been made regarding whether he would play, with the five-Test series kicking off on 21 November in the WACA.
Bailey expressed that Cummins is "building up" and felt positive about his chances of being involved.
"We know that the clock is ticking and multiple considerations at play, not just the physical problem, but additional elements," he commented.
"The outlook is good. [We are] really confident that he's going to play a key capacity. Ideally from the opening match. If not, then we'll pick it up."
Injury History
The captain missed the white-ball matches against India and New Zealand last month after medical tests showed a lumbar bone stress.
He has a history of recurring issues, with setbacks in multiple past seasons leading to absences from multiple domestic campaigns in a limited period.
He emphasized he would be bold in recovery efforts in his rehabilitation process to secure his spot for the contest.
The selector indicated that he did not know if Cummins had begun bowling as part of his rehabilitation but acknowledged it was "pressing" for him to regain fitness for the initial match.
Contingency Plans
In case of absence, ex-skipper Smith will assume leadership.
The talented all-rounder was excluded lately from Australia's squad for their one-day international series against the Asian giants as a preventive step because of soreness in his side.
The selector characterized it as a "small issue and mentioned that he's scheduled to appear in the domestic first-class competition, so will be "in a good place to deliver overs."
"We put so much time has gone into developing the strategy for him to take part for the opening match as an dual-role player," Bailey explained.
"His involvement was limited to the first two ODIs regardless. The way he swings the cricket bat in white-ball cricket, if it causes any delay for a short period, we just made the decision to approach this more conservatively."
Match Calendar
The Historic Rivalry
Spanning from late 2025 to early 2026
